12 Jet 9 RDO vs 13 Jet 9 Carbon - buying advice!

I have narrowed my search down to a lightly used 12 Jet 9 RDO with XT components, sun ringle black flag wheels, RockShox fork with handlebar lockout in licorice black. It will come with the warranty. Or a brand new 13 Jet 9 Carbon with SLx components, American classic race wheels and fox Fork in the new Moondust color. Both will cost around $3,400, both are from a LBS and both have the warranty. I think the 12 jet 9 RDO retailed for around $6,000 and the 13 jet 9 carbon retails for $4,000 Should I go with the lightly used RDO and hope it really was lightly used or go new with lower end components and prettier color??? I am upgrading from a Safire and starting to do more races, I am 5'5" and 130lbs. Any advice or suggestions would be appreciated! Thanks

From my understanding, Niner warranties only the original owner, so I don't know how valid the warranty on the 12 might be. However, if the shop can assure you, in writing that the the 5yr warranty from the date of purchase is still valid, and if it has no signs of real cosmetic wear, then go for it. On a side note, there is a misconception that XT is much lighter than SLX. This is not true. Shimano says it is, but in reality, it's not the case. There have even been threads here solely dedicated to prove the falseness in this. Weighting XT and SLX brakes and having them come out with exactly the same weight. I personally did the same with some crank arms (No chainrings) and the XT was actually heavier than the SLX. Now, does XT add more bling factor? Yes.

All that said, dont neglect the option of the 13 because it has SLX. American Classic are awesome wheels. Now color wise... I hate that moondust grey... I dont understand who would choose a bike that color unless its a warranty.

Thank you for the info regarding xt vs slx. Do you think the American classic race wheels are as good as sun ringle black flag? Also, do you know if there any other differences between 12 RDO vs 13 carbon? I am trying to figure out why the retail on the RDO was $2,000 more? This was a demo bike for the shop so the sale will come with warranty From date of purchase since I would be the original owner. Frame looks very good, tiny scratches only. I think the black is stealthy looking but the Moondust just seemed more feminine. I am on a Specialized Safire which is black with pink now!

Demo bike???!!!! Yikes. Demo bikes go through the worst. In that case, and if you are ok with the color go with the moondust. I am not aware of any difference between the two models other than graphics/color. Maybe carbon layup or something. I don't have any experience with the black flag so I couldn't say. American Classic I have used and still using. Very good solid wheels, and their customer service is superb. Again,... considering its a demo bike, and carbon... I would not buy. Even if you don't see anything on the outside of the frame, you never know what might be building/growing from the inside already. Good Luck

I'm not at all scared of a demo bike if you find the right one and it has a full warranty.

I have purchased a couple of them, none of them were "yet" for sale as they keep them for a certain amount of time before they dump them. Out of the 2; one had 2 rides on it and the other had a handful. I know when these bikes came in so it wasn't just the shop BS'ing me. They told me they couldn't sell them yet but once I told them I want the bikes stripped and built up with high end parts, magically, they became available.

So...if you know the history of a demo bike, it can be a great deal. If you don't know this history, it is more of a gamble but if it has full warranty and you don't plan on keeping for more than 5 years, it may be worth the risk.

I was told that last fall this was briefly a Niner demo bike tha was only used a couple of times. The guy at the bike shop wanted it for himself so got it from Niner, he had it over the winter but only ride it a couple of times himself and then realized it was too small, (it's a size S). It looks to be in great shape, no obvious wear and tear. I guess it is a bit of a leap of faith that this is all true but the 5 year warranty that would come with it gives me a bit of peace of mind. I guess I am trying to determine if the 12 RDO is really that much better than the 13 carbon with lower components. I guess another question to ask would be if I decided to sell in another year what would the value be for each?

Value is hard to say as bikes don't have a great resale value. When I was selling my ASR5C it was decked out with all XTR, Thompson, Chris King/Stan's and new Ikon's. I couldn't get anyone to bite.

I then took off all the good gear and slapped on some X5/X7 with a cheap cock-pit and really cheap wheels with some worn out tires and I'll be darned if it didn't sell in one day for almost the same price I was asking when it was decked out.

Originally Posted by Juliecoleman

I was told that last fall this was briefly a Niner demo bike tha was only used a couple of times. The guy at the bike shop wanted it for himself so got it from Niner, he had it over the winter but only ride it a couple of times himself and then realized it was too small, (it's a size S). It looks to be in great shape, no obvious wear and tear. I guess it is a bit of a leap of faith that this is all true but the 5 year warranty that would come with it gives me a bit of peace of mind. I guess I am trying to determine if the 12 RDO is really that much better than the 13 carbon with lower components. I guess another question to ask would be if I decided to sell in another year what would the value be for each?

Thanks guys! I have a couple of dumb questions though... What is a lefty? What components make up the cockpit? Could I get rid of the handlebar lockout for the RockShox? Seems like extra weight for nothing. The saddle that is on the RDO is brutally hard, ouch. The RDO has a 2x10 which seems like plenty o gears, the carbon comes with 3x9, does that add a lot of weight? The licorice RDO does look cool but for some reason the Moondust looks good in the photos, It should be in early next week, and will then make a decision. Until then I will try to keep learning.